


Harry Potter and the Vile of Memories

by HufflepuffSun



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-04-23 22:04:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14341875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HufflepuffSun/pseuds/HufflepuffSun
Summary: Harry is mysteriously willed memories from his parents by Snape. He is thrust into their most cherished memories and finds answers he has always sought.





	1. Snape's Gift

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Memory Box](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/371148) by Bella__E__B. 



> Currently, in the process of writing/editing. Please let me know your thoughts!

A year after the Battle of Hogwarts.  
Chapter 1- Snape’s Gift  
Despite its new inhabitants, Grimmauld Place was its usual bleak ambience. There were cupboards that hadn’t been dusted in ages, boggarts rattling in cabinets, and a screaming portrait of Mrs. Black. But to Harry and Ron, it was home.  
There were two loud cracks, and two boys suddenly appeared. The one with messy black hair walked over to the couch and plopped himself down, grabbing a long piece of parchment with a few hearts scrawled on it.  
“Hey, Harry d’you think Kreacher could make us some treacle tart tonight? I’m bloody starving,” the boy with bright red hair said.  
“Let me ask, Ron. Kreacher!” Harry replied. Suddenly, a pile of rags entered the sitting room.  
“Yes, Master?” replied the rags.  
“Do you think you would be able to make some treacle tart this evening? Ron’s starving.”  
Two large, glazed eyes peered at the boys, and an old mouth seem to twist into a sort of smile. “Of course, Kreacher lives to serve his Master.”  
“Shacklebolt is killing me with this early morning shifts. I’d rather have a hippogriff claw my eyes out than have to wake up at 4 again. I don’t know why he doesn’t make you do them either. I’m telling you, he doesn’t like me ever since the exploding shoe incident,” Ron said as he snuck into a huge reclining chair.  
“No, he’s only making you go in that early because he overheard you saying what a waste of time they were,” Harry replied.  
“Well, they are! Doesn’t he know Voldemort’s gone now? There’s no reason to be going in at that awful hour!” Ron puffed. Harry chuckled and shook his head.  
A huge, silvery elephant appeared in the room and said, “Harry, it’s Neville. Let me in. I have something important for you.”  
“I still don’t know why Neville doesn’t just apparate in. He knows he can,” Ron said with a confused look.  
“Well, it’s Neville. He’s probably just trying to be respectful,” Harry replied as he got up and walked towards the door. He flicked his wand and opened it to reveal a cheery, round-faced Neville.  
“Harry! Always good to see you!” Neville said with a big hug.  
“Come in, Neville! You know you’re always welcomed to pop on in.” Harry closed the door and flicked his wand at it and a shimmer came over it. The pair walked over to the sitting room where Ron sleepily nodded his head at the new arrival.  
“How’s those early morning rounds, Ron? I’ve heard you’ve been on them all week,” Neville said with dust puffing out from the chair he sat on.  
“They’re-“  
“Don’t get him started,” Harry interrupted, and Ron gave him a sulking look. “So what is it you got there, Neville?” Harry nodded towards the small black box Neville was holding.  
“Oh, right! Well, I’m not too sure. You see, it isn’t mine. Some bloke from the Management of Deceased Wizards (?) was looking for you, and since your house is Undectable, he asked if I could give it to you. Anyway, it was Snape’s. Apparently, they’ve finally gotten around to looking at his will, and he left this for you.” Neville handed over the small box and pulled out a letter from his cloak. “I should get going. Gran will be upset if I’m late for dinner. I’ll see you tomorrow, Harry. Shacklebolt wants us to go check out that witch in Diagon Alley.”  
“Yeah, alright, see ya,” Harry said distractly. He stared down at the box and letter in his hand.  
Ron popped up from his chair and went over to Harry. “Well, open it! Why aren’t you opening it? Maybe he left you his Gringott’s vault. I don’t reckon he had much, but I mean anything is better than nothing,” he said.  
“It’s just strange. I couldn’t imagine Snape would want to leave me anything. I mean, I know he cared for me, but he put this in his will. He planned for me to have this,” Harry said with a confused frown.  
Ron looked pointedly at him and then the letter. Harry hesitantly opened the letter.  
Mr. Harry Potter,  
If you are receiving this, it can only mean that I have died. I have always meant to give this to you, but as our relationship has always been strained, I was not given the opportunity. Upon that first night when you defeated the Dark Lord, I went to your mother’s home. After finding her dead, I found this in your room. I hope that you forgive me for not giving it to you sooner.  
Always,  
Severus Snape  
Harry and Ron shared a puzzled look. Harry carefully opened the box to find a small vile of memories and a note. He looked down at the neat and beautiful handwriting.  
To our dearest Harry,  
Here are a few of our most precious memories. We hope that we are there to share them with you in person, but if not, we have left you these. We hope that you are not only able to get to know us a little more, but most importantly be able to feel the love we have for each other and you.  
Love always,  
Mum and Dad  
Harry felt as if his heart would burst from his chest. “Kreacher!” He yelled as he rushed to the kitchen.  
Kreacher turned slowly from the piping hot soup he was pouring into two bowls. “Yes, Master?”  
“Kreacher! Do we have a pensieve?!” Harry nearly shouted while holding up the vile. The memories swirled enticingly.  
“No, Master. We do not have a pensieve. Dinner is ready for Master and Master’s scrawny friend.”  
“Scrawny? Who do you think-“  
“Ron! Let’s go, we need to go to Hogwarts.” Harry turned on his heels and grabbed his traveling cloak.  
“Harry!” Ron shouted and grabbed Harry’s arm.  
“Let’s go, Ron!” Harry pushed Ron’s arm off him hurriedly.  
“No, listen mate. We can’t just go apparating into Hogwarts!”  
“Oh, yes, right then. You’ve been listening to Hermione, have you? We’ll go through the portrait. We haven’t seen Abe in a while anyway!” The two boys grabbed arms, and in an instant they were gone.


	2. Chapter 2-The Pensieve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to add more details on McGonagall's office eventually!

It was a quiet night in Hogsmeade. The only sound was the occasional laughter leaking from The Three Broomsticks. Harry and Ron appeared with a loud crack. Harry was practically running down the twisted streets with Ron close on his tail. They came to a decaying pub and swung the door open.  
“Harry, Ron? What are you doing here?” asked a man with a long gray beard. He pulled out two Butterbeers and slide them towards the boys.  
“How you doing Abe?” Ron said as he grabbed for a bottle and chugged it down.  
“Aberforth, we need Ariana. We have to get into Hogwarts quick!”  
Harry rushed over to an empty portrait and stared deeply into it.  
“Is everything alright?” Aberforth Dumbledore asked with a worried look in his eyes. He walked over to where Harry was standing.  
“Yes, I mean no. I mean, I just need to use the pensieve. But, it’s really important. Could you just call her over?” Harry’s bright green eyes pleaded with the old man’s.  
“Alright, then Harry, I’ll get her for you,” Abe said as he gave Harry a pat on his shoulder. “Ariana, we need your help.”  
Ron took the second Butterbeer and chugged it down. He swung his chair to look at the two. Abe looked over at Ron. “So, Ron how are you? Hermione visited me last Hogsmeade trip. Quite brilliant that one is,” He said while Ron slightly blushed and looked away. “Oh! How’s Neville doing? He wrote me the day. Seems like he is enjoying working as an Auror,” the old man continued seemingly not noticing Ron’s embarrasment at his comment about Hermione.  
“Neville is bloody brilliant! Took down a ghoul the other day all by himself,” Ron replied between gulps.  
Aberforth gave an impressed nod. Ron suddenly noticed a something familiar Abe was wearing pinned to his robes. It was a bright green badge with the letters S. P. E. W. Ron choked on his Butterbeer. Abe followed Ron’s gaze and looked down at his badge.  
“Hermione gave it to me. Didn’t really want one honestly, but she’s a persistent one. Brought up Dobby, too,” Abe explained with a sad smile.  
A young girl had appeared in the portrait. She looked at them and gave a loving nod towards Aberforth. The portrait swung open and a great tunnel was exposed.  
“Thanks, Abe!” Harry said as he hastily climbed into the tunnel.  
“D’you reckon their spiders in there?” asked Ron. He hesitantly placed his foot in. Abe chuckled and waved goodbye.  
Harry ran as fast as he could towards the end of the tunnel. He could hear Ron’s footsteps behind him. He felt sweat dripping down his forehead. He legs were on fire, but all Harry could see were those swirling memories inviting him to reveal the mysteries he had always wanted to know. Harry’s heart pounded in his chest with excitement. His parents. Their history. It’s all he’s ever wanted to know.  
The tunnel ended opened up suddenly to a vast room. Ron bumped into Harry’s back.  
“Bloody hell! You’d think Death Eaters were after us,” Ron said in between heavy breaths. They clambered down and rushed for the door. When they opened it, they were greeted with the quiet halls of their childhood.  
“Come on, Ron, Headmistress’ Tower is this way,” Harry tugged at his friends arm to follow him. They lit their wands and navigated the corridors of Hogwarts with ease. They came to a great, unmoving gargoyle. Harry looked at Ron with an uneasy look.  
“Well, what do you think the password could be?” Harry asked.  
“Don’t know. What does McGonagall like besides rules and transfiguration?” Ron asked with a smirk.  
“How am I supposed to know!? Oh, she loves Quidditch! Maybe it’s something with that. Snitch! Bludger! Quaffle! Seeker!” Harry started shouting Quidditch terms excitedly.  
“Potter!”  
The two boys swung around startled to find a stern witch staring down at them disapprovingly.  
“I would say I was excited to see you both, except for you disturbing my halls and trying to break into my office. Explain yourselves,” Professor McGonagall said with thin, pursed lips.  
“Professor, I am really sorry. We just need the pensieve. You see, I got memories from my parents.” Harry took out the small vile from his cloak and held it up for her to see. Ron looked up at her and shrugged with an unhopeful look. Her eyes darted between the two and finally softened slightly.  
“Well, memories you say? Okay, let’s go in. You can explain more in there,” McGonagall said with a sad smile. She looked at the gargoyle and said, “Montrose Magpies!” The gargoyle jumped aside, revealing the twisted staircase.  
“I knew it was something Quidditch,” Harry whispered to Ron as they followed her up the stairs. She sat behind an organized desk with a high-backed chair that Harry thought looked very uncomfortable. She swished her wand and two plush chairs appeared. The two boys sat down. She looked at Harry clearly waiting for him to further explain.  
“Well you see Professor, Snape left me this box with this vile in it. My parents left me a note saying that they gave me these just in case they weren’t able to tell me them in person. I don’t have a pensieve, and this was the first place I thought of to come,” Harry explained looking hopeful. McGonagall looked at him for a moment with a stern face. Harry thought he saw the corners of her mouth turn slightly upward for a moment.  
“Oh, alright then,” she said with a sigh, “but this will be the last time you come sneaking into my school. You will come invited and announced, just as everyone else. Understand?” She said with a meaningful look. The two boys nodded their head. McGonagall got up from her seat and around a corner.  
Harry looked around at the past Headmaster’s pretending to sleep. He looked up at a portrait labeled ‘Albus Dumbledore,’ and saw an old man with twinkling eyes staring back at him. He thought he saw him wink at him. He began examining the room. It was quite different than how Dumbledore had it. The walls were lined with bookcases and filled with books. In the corner, there was a complicated looking contraption that had different labeled potions that spun lazily around. Harry noticed a long-eared owl swoop in from an opened window. It peered at them sternly from its perch. McGonagall came back into their view with the giant pensieve. She glided it to the center of the room. Harry got up quickly and began to unfastened the top of the vile.  
“One more thing,”  
Harry and Ron looked at her.  
“Shall I call Miss Granger for this? I feel like it is only appropriate to ask,” McGonagall said with a hint of a smirk.  
“Yes!” Ron answered quickly.  
Harry and McGonagall both turned to him and then shared a look. Ron blushed slightly.  
“Well, come on now, Harry, hurry up and open it,” Ron said while Harry continued to fidget with the vile.  
Finally, the top popped off with a sound of great relief. He saw his hand shaking slightly. He didn’t know if it was from nerves or excitement. He gently tilted the vile over the pensieve and watched as the first memory dropped in. He placed his head and felt a coolness wash over him. He felt like he was falling as the scene unfolded before him.


	3. Chapter 3- Lily's Childhood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this isn't too boring! I really just wanted to establish the friendship Lily had with Petunia and get to know what her parents were like cause we really don't know a lot! Please let me know your thoughts!

Harry stood in a large backyard under the shade of a blooming apple tree. He looked around wondering which one of his parents this memory was. He heard rustling from the tree.   
“99, 100! Ready or not here I come!” a little girl jumped down from the tree. She had shining red hair and bright green eyes. She was wearing a faded blue play dress. Harry smiled to himself. The little girl started running around looking around the backyard. When she got near a bush, another girl ran out screaming with laughter.   
“Petunia!” the first girl shouted as she chased her.   
“I’m too fast! You’ll never catch me, Lily!” Petunia teased as Lily chased her.   
Harry watched the girls with joy. He had always wondered what his mother and aunt’s relationship was like before Lily found out she was a witch. Harry frowned slightly thinking of the how his mother would react if he knew just how awful Petunia treated him.   
The girls collapsed to the ground in a fit of laughter. They both rolled over on their backs and watched the clouds drift past.   
“Monkey!” Lily shouted and pointed.  
“Bear!” Petunia joined in.  
It seemed that this was a common pastime for the girls as they continued their game for minutes. Harry watched his mother. He studied her expressions and laugh. He never wanted to forget this. Without warning, the scene began to change. The beautiful scene vanished and before Harry was a cozy sitting room. There was a sign that read, “Happy Birthday, Lily.” His family was sitting around a small table. He smiled as he saw his grandparents faces. His grandmother was a small lady with bright, red hair. She had Petunia’s sharp nose but in a soft way. She a big smile and dimples that match Lily’s. He looked at his grandfather and the first thing he noticed was his eyes. They looked exactly like Harry’s.   
“Okay, now love, shall we move to the cake? Tuney helped me make it. It’s your favorite! Lemon!” His grandmother said while getting up from the table.   
“Yum! Thank you! I’m so excited!” Lily said as her eyes twinkled brightly.   
“Just wait for your gifts,” His grandfather said with a wink.   
His grandmother came back in with a giant cake. The lights dimmed and everyone sang the birthday song. Harry was entranced.   
“Open my gift first!” Petunia said giving Lily a small, neatly wrapped present. Lily looked up at her with bright eyes. She gently unwrapped the box to reveal a kit of makeup. Lily looked up and smiled.  
“Thought it was about time,” Petunia said with a shrug.  
“Oh, goodness! Petunia, she’s only 10. She can play with it, but she won’t be leaving the house in it!” Their mother said sternly. Harry was distinctly reminded of Mrs. Weasley. Petunia looked at Lily and rolled her eyes.   
“Thanks, Tuney! I love them!” Lily giggled.   
“Oh! Severus wanted me to give this to you, dear,” Harry’s grandmother said while handing over poorly wrapped package.   
“Severus, you say? He fanciiieeessss, Lily,” Petunia teased.  
“Oh, hush, Petunia. We’re just friends!” Lily replied with a frown. She looked down at the package and unwrapped it. She found a small box with a painted lily on it. When she opened it up, there was a ballerina twirling around to music.   
“Oh, it’s lovely!” Lily exclaimed. Petunia gave her a pointed look which made Lily roll her eyes.   
“Yes, dear, that was very thoughtful of him,” his grandfather said.  
“Don’t forget to thank him for it,” their mother warned.   
“Shall it be our turn now?” his grandfather asked with a big grin. “Well, where did I put it?” Everyone looked up and smiled at him. He started walking around the room, feigning confusion. Lily got up and followed her father.   
“Come on, Dad!” Lily pressed with excited hops.   
“Alright, alright. Let me see here,” he took a great pause, “Oh! Yes, I remember! Come now, everyone to the sitting room!” Everyone followed him and sat down. Lily folded her hands patiently on her lap.   
“Well, maybe, if I played some music it would help jog my memory,” her father said. He fidgeted with the record player and a beautiful voice came out.   
“Oh, Daddy!” Lily squealed, “You got me the Doris Day record I’ve been wanting!” She ran up to her father and her mother and squeezed them. She started dancing and singing around the room. Her mother left the room, leaving Lily and her father dancing while Petunia watched. Her father stopped dancing and fixed his gaze past Lily. Lily turned around and saw her mother standing there with a light green bike with a small basket. Lily screamed with delight and suddenly, a pot in the corner shed its leaves. Petunia noticed and gave a small frown.   
“Mum, Lily’s done it again with all her screeching!” Petunia said. Mrs. Evans looked over at the pot and laughed.   
“Lily! That voice of yours is killing all my plants!” Mrs. Evans jokingly scolded.  
“Sorry, Mum. I just got too excited,” Lily said concerned.  
“Oh, that plant was dying long before Lily screamed,” Mr. Evans teased. His wife pursed her lips and smiled faintly.   
“Let’s go outside! I want to see Lily on her new bike,” Harry’s grandmother explained while she walked to the front door and grabbed her coat.  
“Mum, it’s snowing,” Petunia whined.   
“Oh, come on!” Lily and her father followed Mrs. Evans out the door with the new bike. Petunia watched sulkingly from the front window. Harry smiled as he watched his mother ride around the street with his grandparents cheering her on. He could have sat there for hours just watching his mother laugh and smile.


	4. Chapter 4- Spoiled James

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry gets a peek into James' childhood

Harry pulled his head out of the pencieve and felt a cold rush over his head. McGonagall’s office appeared before him.   
“Harry!” He felt arms wrap around him and brown, bushy hair covered his face.  
“Hello, Hermione,” replied Harry as the two parted.  
“Ron told me everything! It’s bizarre, isn’t it? How Snape had these memories all this long and never gave them you,” Hermione said as she sat next to Ron near the fire.   
“I don’t think it’s all that strange. Snape was weird bloke,” Ron said.  
Harry shrugged still thinking of his mother’s smile.   
“How was it then, Harry?” Hermione asked.  
“It was…strange, really. I mean, it’s fantastic, but it is just weird seeing all this when I’ve been wondering about it for so long.” Harry reached for the vile again. “It was just my mum’s childhood. It was curious to see my Aunt Pentunia being slightly pleasant.” Harry watched as a memory dropped down from the vile and into the pensieve. He lowered his head with his heart hammering in his chest.   
Harry looked around the grand sitting room. There were magical trinkets lining the shelves. Intricate picture frames were hanging out on the walls all with the same boy with dishleved, dark hair smiling back. Harry heard laughter from behind him. He walked towards the sound and saw a beautiful garden.   
“James, come here! I have something else for you,” said an older man with dark hair. A small boy zoomed across the garden and hugged the man’s legs. Harry walked towards the little boy who looked very much like him.  
“Okay, James, my boy,” Harry’s grandfather said peeling James away from his legs. “I picked this one out myself right from Diagon Alley,” he said with an excited smile. He pulled out a long package from behind his back.   
James looked up at his father with wide eyes that twinkled.   
“Mum! Quick!” James called over his shoulder.   
An older woman appeared from around the house. She had gardening gloves on and was carrying a small, bright orange tree. She sat it down carefully on a table nearby.  
“Oh, Fleamont. You couldn’t help yourself, could you?” She said to the old man with a smile.   
“Go on, open it!” Fleamont said to his son.  
James tore open the package quickly to reveal a shining new broomstick. He held it up proudly to his parents.   
“Thanks, Dad!” He gave him a hug.   
Harry examined the broomstick closely. On it’s handle, in shiny silver letters it said “Nimbus 1001.”   
“Go on, give it a try!”  
James wrapped his legs around the broom and kicked off. He became a blur as he zoomed in the yard.   
Harry’s grandmother shook her head with a smile. “You’re going to kill him! Who gets a child a broom?”   
Her husband turned to look at her. “Oh, come on now, dear. 8 is old enough for a broom!” He said as he pulled her closer.  
“Not so high, James! I don’t want the Muggle neighbors to see!” She called to James as he flew past the tree tops.   
Harry looked on at his father. He felt a longing in his chest. He imagined what it would be like to fly with his father. He wondered what it would be like to play Quidditch with him. He felt a yearning for what could have been. His father laughter of joy was ringing in his ears as the scene began to change.   
Suddenly, Harry was in an unfamiliar place. He heard strange accents around him. The sun was hanging low in the sky, silhouting pine trees all around.   
“Dad, are we almost there yet?”   
Harry swivled around to see James and his parents walking towards him. Leading them was a tall man with a scarred face.   
“Patience, James. They’re not going anywhere.”  
“Actually, Mr. Potter, one did escape the other day. Took a week to finally capture it and bring it back,” the tall man said with a slight accent.  
Harry’s grandmother gave a scared glance at her husband. He gave her a gentle pat and a kiss.   
“Don’t worry, Euphemia,” He said to her gently.   
There was a great sound in the distance. Harry followed his family towards the sound. A clearing opened and all around the family were dragons. James’ eyes turned towards his parents with astonishment and quickly turned back to the giant beasts before him.   
“Go ahead and take a look around. I must warn you though, stay behind the railing and try not to get the dragons to notice you. These are mums that’s why they are not with the others, and they can be quite viscious,” the man said letting the family take the lead.  
Laying before the family was a sleeping dragon with silvery skin. Harry recognized it immediately as a Swedish-Short Snout which Cedric Diggory battled during the Triwizard Tournament. James went right up to the gate and leaned close. Blue fire rolled out from the dragons nose sleepily.   
“Come on, now. Let’s find a more exiciting one,” James ran past his parents to the next enclosure.   
“Ah, stand back, boy,” called the tall man. James followed the man’s instructions just as a small, copper colored dragon swung it’s head to look at him. It bared sharp fangs at him and tried to lung forward. Chains around the dragons feet made it stumble back. “That there is a Purvian Vipertooth. They have a taste for human flesh.”  
“James, please come here!” Harry’s grandmother called to her son. James flashed his mother a smile and rolled his eyes.  
“I’m fine, Mum,” He said.   
The guide walked near Mr. Potter.  
“You know, I can show you a real treat, if you offer the right price,” the man said to him. Harry’s grandfather looked at James who was staring at the dragon, absolutely captivated.   
“You name it,” Mr. Potter said back to the man. With a greedy smile, the man looked over at James.  
“Hey, boy! Come over here. I have a real special one I can show you.” James excitedly ran towards the man as the dragon behind him blasted fire towards the group. The walked back into the forest and climbed over thick roots.   
“Okay, now this one is a real rare one. We are lucky to even have one here. We only captured it because it had a hurt wing and needed it meanded. We’ll be turning it back to New Zealand any day now.”  
The path suddenly cleared and great, beautiful dragon stood. It’s scales shimmered despite the dark encroaching. It’s eyes darted towards the group. Harry saw that it had no pupils but instead, swirls of colors.   
“Blimey,” James whispered in amazement.  
At the sound, the dragon opened it’s wide mouth and scarlet fire rolled forth barely missing the group. Mrs. Potter grabbed onto James tightly.   
“What’s this one called?” asked James eagerly.  
“Antipodean Opaleye, that one is,” replied the tall man looking lovingly at the dragon.   
James looked up at his parents lovingly.   
“This was the best present ever,” he said.   
“Well, thought we better do something special before you get shipped off to Hogwarts,” his mother said as she squeezed him.  
“Gryffindor is going to be lucky,” said his father with a smile.   
Harry looked at his grandparents faces. He imagined them looking at him with such love. His heart felt full. Suddenly, the scene began to disappear, and Harry lifted his head up from the pensieve.   
“Oh, Ron, I’m not going to snog you in McGonagall’s office!”  
“Come on, Hermione! When was the last time I saw you?” Ron groaned.  
“Last week at Hogsmeade!” Hermione replied fervently. She looked past Ron’s head and saw Harry smirking at them. She blushed and quickly said, “That was your dad’s childhood, I’m assuming?”  
Ron turned around and sheepishly said, “Oi, Harry, didn’t know you had finished up.”  
“They took him to see dragons! And he had a Nimbus! He was zooming around everywhere! And the dragon had no pupils in it’s eyes!”  
“He saw an Antipodean Opaleye in person?” Ron asked shocked. Hermione gave him a proud look.   
“Yes! It was amazing!”  
“It seems like your dad had quite the childhood,” Hermione said.  
“Well, yeah! He was bloody rich! The only broom I got was an old Cleansweep that was Charlie’s.”  
Harry reached for the vile quickly. As he was dropping another memory down, Hermione looked hesitantly at Harry’s eager face.  
“Harry, I know you’re excited, but-“ She paused looking worriedly, “remember, they’re just memories.”  
“I know what they are, Hermione. I know my parents are dead, and they’re not coming back,” Harry said angrily and put his head into the pensieve before she could reply.


	5. Chapter 5- Their First Meeting

Harry stood in the middle of Platform 9 3/4 with students and family husseling around him. The train gave a loud whistle.   
“Well, Lily, I guess this is goodbye,” Harry heard a voice from behind him say. He turned around and saw his grandparents hugging Lily tightly. Mrs. Evans had tears in her eyes.   
“And don’t you worry about Petunia. She’ll come around,” his grandfather said.  
“If not, maybe I’ll just curse her so she can stop calling me a freak,” Lily replied with a sad smile.   
“Oh, Sunshine! We are so proud of you! You know, Petunia is just a little jealous with all the attention you’ve been getting. Once Christmas comes around, everything will be back to normal with you two!” Lily’s mother said to her and gave her one last hug. A young boy, with black hair that hung like curtains around his face, walked towards the Evan’s.  
“Come on, Lily, we’ll nearly miss it!” he said.  
“Oh, alright Severus, I’m coming!” Lily said as she tore her parents from her.   
“Don’t worry. They’ll be fine. You’ll see them soon,” Severus patted her back while they walked on the train.  
Harry followed them closely. They found empty seats and sat down across from each other. Lily looked worriedly out of the window for her parents. When she saw them, she gave them a big smile and wave as the train chugged forward.  
“What were the different Houses, again?” Lily asked as she sat back down in her seat.  
“Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, but remember, it’s Slytherin you really want to get into,” Snape said ethusiatically.   
“Slytherin is the last house you want to get into!” James said as he walked into the carriage. “Do you mind if I sit here?” he continued and sat himself down next to Snape.   
“And, who are you?” Snape sneared.  
“James Potter. And, you?” He looked at Lily with gleaming eyes.  
“Lily Evans. Nice to meet you,” she said as they shook hands. Harry noticed Snape’s eyes narrow at James.  
“Severus Snape,” he said and did not offer his hand. Just then, a boy staggered in and plopped down next to Lily.   
“Hello, I’m Lily Evans. Who are you?” Lily asked with a gentle smile.   
“Sirius Black,” the handsome boy said.   
“Well, Sirius, this is Severus Snape and James Potter,” Lily gestured to each boy sitting in front of them.  
“Severus? That’s a real name?” Sirius asked with smirk.  
Severus looked at him darkly while Lily frowned at him. James continued to stare at Lily without hardly a glance at Sirius. Lily turned back to Severus.   
“Why do would I want to be a Slytherin?” she asked.   
“All the most powerful wizards come from Slytherin. Don’t you want to be good at magic?” Severus replied.  
“If by 'good at magic', you mean evil then Slytherin would be the perfect place for you,” Sirius said to Lily. Severus rolled his eyes.  
“There is no better House, Lily! My mum was a Slytherin, and she’s not evil, you know that!” Severus said looking at Lily. James finally started looking the boys he was sitting next to with more clarity.  
“The best House is clearly Gryffindor,” James argued. Sirius nodded in agreement.   
“You couldn’t place me in Gryffindor for a million galleons,” Severus stated with a glare at James.   
“Gryffindor wouldn’t take a slimy git like you, anyway,” Sirius called out at Severus. James started to laugh.   
“That’s really rude, Sirius,” Lily said to defend her friend.  
“Oh, come on, Evans, it’s just a joke,” Sirius said with a chuckle.   
“No, it’s not just a joke, Black,” Lily turned to him sternly. Sirius shrugged his shoulders.  
“Gryffindor also has the best Quidditch team,” James said to Lily.   
“What’s Quidditch?” she asked.  
“Only the best sport ever,” Sirius said excitedly. Lily turned towards Sirius with a puzzled look.   
“You’ve never told me wizards have a sport,” she said. Severus shrugged one of his shoulders.  
“Never really interested me,” he replied.  
“Of course it didn’t. I heard the Slytherin team is bloody awful,” James said to him. Severus turned towards him.  
“I’ve heard the Gryffindor team was absolutely horrendous,” he said back darkly.  
Harry sat and watched in amusement as the whole train ride over James, Sirius, and Severus argued over Slytherin and Gryffindor. Each time that Sirius would cross the line, Lily would be there to stick up for Snape. Harry finally was able to see the great kindness everyone had always mentioned about his mother. She was not only kind and determined to be loyal to Snape, but she would warn him when he was also being rude. He admired her greatly for that. Meanwhile, James would sometimes fall out of conversation to stare at Lily. Harry noticed that Lily did not share the same infatuation that James had for her. In fact, she seemed to become more annoyed with him as he laughed at Sirius’ rude comments.   
The train gave a loud whistle.   
“We should be nearly there,” Lily said looking out the window. They started to put on their school robes, and the train rolled to a stop. James and Sirius chatted excitedly.  
“Come on, Severus, let’s go before we have to be stuck with these two again,” Lily said as she got up. They walked out of the carriage and heard James call out, “Where you going, Evans?” Lily either ignored him or did not seem to hear.   
The memory faded quickly faded, and Harry pulled himself out of the Pensieve once more. He turned towards Hermione and Ron. Hermione was reading from a giant book while Ron was snoring beside her.   
“Decided not to snog?” Harry asked bemused. Hermione rolled her eyes at him.   
“I’m sorry if I upset you, Harry. I just couldn’t imagine what you must be feeling,” Hermione said to Harry as he sat down across from her and stared into the fire.  
“I’m not sad, Hermione. Honestly, I’m just happy that I finally can know a bit more about them,” Harry answered.   
“I know, but I’m sure now you wish you could have had the Resurrection Stone to really hear their stories,” she said tenderly. Harry got up and looked out the window to the twinkling stars.   
“My dad absolutely annoyed my mum the first time they met,” Harry said turning towards Hermione. He chuckled and shook his head, and she gave him a smile.   
“Well, didn’t Lupin always say how idiotic he acted in front of her?” Hermione asked. Harry walked towards the Pensieve and dropped another memory in.   
“I guess, now I can finally find out how he changed her mind,” Harry said and felt himself falling.


	6. Chapter 6- Up in the Air and Slughorn's Party

Harry was outside. He saw the castle silhouetted in the moonlight. He always loved the castle at night. There was rustling near him, but when he turned, there was no one there. Puzzled, he followed the sound.  
“Stop breathing down my neck!” said a loud whisper.  
“Well, walk faster! Peter keeps stepping on my heels!” another one replied.  
“Sorry, James,” another voice said quietly.   
They were underneath the invisibility cloak. Harry could see their footprints in the dewy grass. He followed them to the Quidditch field where he heard them stop.   
“Are you sure they keep them here?”   
“Yes, Freya Williams told me exactly where they are. Stop worrying, Peter, everything will be fine.”  
“Freya Williams? The third year!?” Harry thought that voice to be his father’s. “How’d you get her to talk to you!?”  
Three boys appeared next to Harry. Sirius smirked and shrugged his shoulders arrogantly. They continued walking a ways until they got to the shed where the brooms were kept. Sirius took out his wand.  
“Alohamora,” he said at the lock. It gave a small click, and the door popped open. “You would think they would do better at protecting these.” He tossed a broom to James.  
“Are you sure no one will see us?” Peter said nervously.  
“Stop being a prat! No one is going to be looking at the Quidditch field. And in case anyone is, you’ll be watching so we can get out of here before they have a chance to catch us,” Sirius answered sternly. Peter nodded rapidly in agreement. James and Sirius kicked off from ground, leaving Peter in astonishment. Harry went to the cupboard and tried to grab a broom to follow them, but his hand went straight through them. He didn’t want to stay here with Peter all night. He walked onto the Quidditch field, hoping to get a better view of them flying. He skipped up the stairs as fast as he could. His feet slowly started to lift off the ground. I’m floating, Harry thought. He kicked his feet towards James and Sirius. James was zooming around while Sirius was lazily gliding in the air. The air was punctuated with their laughter.   
“I don’t know why they don’t let first years join the team, I would be the best Seeker Gryffindor has ever had,” James shouted to Sirius as he spun quickly in the air.  
“Yeah, I’m sure that’ll get Evans attention,” Sirius said as he waggled his eyebrows. James looked back at him darkly and sped off. Sirius sat quietly on his broom looking around.   
“Wish Remus was here,” James said stopping next to Sirius.   
“He’s always getting sick,” Sirius said with an annoyed puff of his lips. Harry looked to the moon and saw that it was full and heavy in the sky.   
“Well, maybe tomorrow we can come back here and show him,” James replied.   
“I’m bored. Tomorrow night let’s do something else. Oh! Let’s leave stink pellets by the Slytherin’s common room. I learned how to charm them so that they go off at a certain time. The Slytherin’s won’t know what hit them in the morning,” Sirius told James with a grin.  
“As long as Snivellus smells like a rotten toad,” James said.  
“He always smells like a rotten toad. ‘Bout as greasy as one too,” Sirius said nastily. James replied back with a laugh and took off towards the other end of the field. Harry could tell James was an excellent flyer for being so young. He had an ease on the broom that Sirius lacked. Harry was surpised to see Sirius so disinterested in flying. He seemed to be only interested in his next adventure. Without warning, there was a shout from down below. The two boys on brooms descended while Harry followed.   
“Did you see someone?” Sirius asked hurriedly.   
“I thought I heard something,” Peter said looking around nervously. Sirius rolled his eyes.   
“If I had a Sickle for every time that you thought you heard something,” Sirius haughtily said. Despite the darkness, Harry could see Peter’s cheeks go bright red.   
“Come on, Sirius. We should probably head back. It is getting late,” James said with a quick glance at Peter. He took Sirius’ broom and put it back in the shed.  
“Oh, that’s right! We have Potions tomorrow morning. You want to be well rested for Evans,” Sirius teased.  
“Oh, shut it,” James replied.  
“We all know that your jealous of Remus for getting her for a partner,” Sirius continued.   
“I’d take anyone over Annabel Green! Anyway, she seems to quite fancy you,” James said with a smirk. Sirius rolled his eyes. The boys threw the Invisibility Cloak over their shoulders and disappeared.   
Shapes began to appear from the darkness. Harry looked around and saw that he was in the castle now with ornate decorations hanging around. Lily and Severus appeared and entered a door. Harry followed, curiously. Through the door, the saw more decorations hanging around the room.   
“Ah, Severus, Lily! So glad that you could make it.”  
Harry looked towards the voice and saw Professory Slughorn welcoming them by shaking their hands vigorously. He sat them down at a small dinner table where other students were sitting and talking. Lily smiled at the boy next to her.   
“Hullo, I’m Albert Murphy,” he said to her. Severus looked towards the boy and scowled.  
“Hello, Albert. I’m Lily Evans. This is my friend Severus Snape,” Lily replied.  
“Your friends with a Slytherin and you’re in Gryffindor?” Albert asked in a surprised voice. Lily gave a small laugh.   
“Well, yes. We’ve been friends since before coming to Hogwarts. Just because we are in different Houses doesn’t mean we would stop being friends,” Lily said. Severus gave a small smile towards her.   
“I’ve just never heard of Gryffindors and Slytherins being so friendly with each other. In fact, they’re usually more like enemies,” Albert pointed out.   
“And you are? Ravenclaw, yes?” Severus asked.   
“That’s correct,” Albert said pompously.  
“Then, it would very clear tha-“ Severus started but was unable to finish.   
“Alright, alright. I’m very glad that everyone is getting to know each other. In fact, everytime I invite first years to my very first Slug Club meeting for them I just cannot help but thinking, ‘Look at all this bright talent! Who will know what their future holds!” Professor Slughorn said brightly. He then went off to list the many names of well-known witches and wizards that were once in the Slug Club and making great successes. Severus looked like he was holding onto every word that Slughorn was saying. Lily, on the other hand, was distracted. She kept looking at a girl who was sitting across from her with a concerned face. She was wearing a purple, fuzzy dress and two big fuzz balls holding up her pigtails.   
“Severus,” Lily whispered while Slughorn was still rambling on. Severus did not seem to hear. “Severus,” Lily repeated while nudging his arm. Severus turned to her with a look of question.  
“Yes?” He asked distractedly.  
“The girl in purple. Isn’t that the one whose mother’s disappeared?” She asked. Severus glanced at the girl across the way. He nodded his head and went back to listening to Slughorn. Lily stared down at her empty plate.   
The dinner party was just as awkward as Harry knew it would be. Slughorn went around the table asking some students about family members and telling stories about them. Harry was not paying attention to who was in the room. All he could do was look at his mother. He knew something was bothering her as she shifted her food around on her plate. When Slughorn had finally allowed them to leave, Lily said goodbye to Severus quickly.   
“Where are you going?” Severus asked her.  
“I’ll see you later!” She called to him as she walked out. She looked around and headed off down a corridor quickly.   
“Mary!” Lily said to the girl in the purple dress who was walking up ahead. The girl turned around and gave a confused smile.   
“I just wanted to say, I love your dress!” Lily said to her.  
“Oh, well, thank you,” Mary blushed slightly.   
“You’re a Hufflepuff, right?” Lily asked. Mary nodded her head shyly.   
“I think we have Charms together, then.”  
“Oh, yes!” Mary replied.  
“Well, I know you haven’t been able to be here, so if you ever want to catch up on notes or practice, just let me know!” Lily offered with a modest shrug. She waved good-bye and started to walk away.   
“Lily,” Mary called softly, “Thank you.” Harry saw that her eyes twinkled with tears.   
Lily turned around and smiled and gave another wave. Harry followed her all the way to the Gryffindor Common Room. It was empty except for a few older students who were crowded in the corner. She walked up the girl’s dormitory steps. Harry hesitated at the bottom. He had ever been to the girl’s dormitory. He was not sure if he was able to even in a memory. He took a step onto the stairs and when nothing happened, he rushed up quickly. He caught up with his mother and followed her into her room. Harry looked around and saw that it was identical to the boy’s. Lily sat down at a bed and kicked off her shoes.   
“How was the party?” a girl had popped up out of a bed. Lily jumped.   
“Do you have to scare me every time? Why can’t you just let me know you’re awake when I come in?” Lily asked with a laugh.   
“There is no fun in that,” she replied with a shrug.  
“So, tell us!” another girl had popped out of her bed and was looking at Lily eagerly. Harry stared into to the girl’s round, friendly face. ‘Neville,’ he thought.   
“Come here,” Lily looked at the girls and patted her bed. The two girls rushed over and sat down. “Okay, honestly, it was quite boring,” Lily admitted. Neville’s mother snorted and the other girl rolled her eyes.  
“Well, you know how Slughorn is! Doe, just the other day you were saying how you almost fell asleep while he talked to you after class!” Lily said to the girl Harry did not know.   
“Well, at least you’ll end up famous, now” Doe said happily. Lily gave her a pointed look. “Oh, come on! Lots of famous witches were in the Slug Club when they went to Hogwarts.”  
“I can see it, now. Lily Evans Potter puts 10 Death Eaters in Azkaban and defeats You-Know-Who himself,” Alice said while putting her hands up to make headlines.   
“Did you just say Lily Evans POTTER?!” Lily asked with a frown. Doe collapsed with laughter. Alice shrugged.  
“He’s obsessed with you, Lily. You would have no other choice. He would duel any man that asked for your hand in marriage,” Alice said. Lily made a sound of disgust.   
“I would marry a flobberworm before I married James Potter,” Lily said.  
“At least a flobberworm would have more manners,” Doe said as she stopped laughing.   
Lily turned to both of them and looked suddenly serious.   
“I saw that girl Mary from Hufflepuff. The one who’s mum is missing.” Doe gasped and Alice frowned deeply.   
“Did she look alright?” Alice asked.  
“I don’t know. She was quiet most of the time,” Lily answered. The girls were silent for a few moments.   
“I heard, he’s targeting Muggles,” Lily continued, “What if my family is next?”   
“Lily,” Doe said and hugged her tightly. Alice joined in and they sat there huddled together for a long time. Suddenly, a great, big snore from the bed next to Lily’s pierced the room. The girls burst with laughter as everything began to fade.


	7. The Werewolf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it's been so long! I'm still brainstorming ideas for Lily's memories, so it's taken me a little while to come up with stuff. Let me know what you think!

The sun was just setting. Harry was still in a Gryffindor dormitory, but by the smell, it seemed that this would have to be his father’s. Two boys busted through the room.  
“Hurry and grab it or we’ll miss them!” Sirius said to James. James ran to one of the trunks and pulled out his Invisibility Cloak. Harry saw that they seemed to be a little older than the last time he saw them. He wondered if they were going to show him a prank or something else really exciting. It seemed that all of James’ memories there was always a thrill. He followed the boys out of the room as they ran out of the Common Room and into the halls.  
There was not a lot of people around as it was getting dark. Harry had to run in order to keep up with them. He smiled excitedly to himself. They ran out of the castle and onto the grounds.  
“How about these trees, Sirius?” James asked.  
“Yeah, perfect, I don’t think you’ll be able to see us from there.” They crouched down low into the brush and waited quietly. Harry realized they kept staring back at the castle when he saw two figures were walking towards them. As they got closer, he saw it was Professor McGonagall and Remus Lupin. McGonagall looked all around before pointing her wand at the tree where it suddenly froze.  
“Alright, in you go, Remus. I will be back at dawn. We’ll have Madame Pomfrey get you cleaned up if you need,” she said to him with a pat on his shoulder. He nodded his head and crouched down into a hole at the tree’s base.  
Sirius and James looked at each other excitedly. Professor McGonagall took a few steps away from the tree before waving her wand at it again. The tree started moving again. The boys waited a few moments before speaking.  
“I told you, I saw them last month here!” James loudly whispered to Sirius.  
“How are we going to get down there?” Sirius asked. James looked at him as if he were a three-headed cat.  
“Why on Earth would we try to go down there, now!?”  
“We have to see for ourselves!” Sirius exclaimed back as if it were obvious.  
“If he is a werewolf, he would eat us in a heartbeat!” James answered. Sirius rolled his eyes and let out an annoyed puff of air. “We’ll just have to come back in the morning.”  
“You know, the only way we’ll really know if we see him transform for ourselves,” Sirius said.  
“Or we can just ask him,” James replied.  
“Alright, it’s settle. Tomorrow, you’ll as him.”  
“Why me!?”  
“It was YOUR idea,” Sirius pointed out. James sighed and peeked back out onto the grounds.  
“I think the coast is clear. Come on.” He threw the cloak over both of them, and Harry heard them walking back to the castle.  
It was morning, now. The sun just peeking out and being reflected on the lake. Harry turned around from the window he was facing. James was pacing the room, quickly. With every creak of the castle, he would anxiously look at the entrance. Finally, there were small footsteps from the portrait hole. Remus appeared looking pale and exhausted. A bandage was wrapped around one of his hands. He looked surprised to see James.  
“What are you doing up so early, James? Did Sirius’ snores keep you up all night?” He joked with a small smile. There was an awkward silence before James gave a small chuckle. Remus looked at him with a confused frown.  
“Um, I just, you know, woke up early,” James replied with a shrug. Remus continued to stare at him with confusion.  
“Okay, well, I’m pretty tired. I want to try to get some sleep before everyone wakes up.” Remus walked towards the dormitory stairs.  
“Did you not get any rest last night, Remus?” James asked pointedly. Remus turned around slowly and glanced down nervously.  
“There was fifth year in Madame Pomfrey’s. Spewing up all night. It was ghastly. She got really bad levitation sickness while studying the Levicorpus charm,” Remus said casually with a shrug. He took a step on to the stairs.  
“What happened to your hand?” James questioned. Harry sighed with impatience. Am I this horrible at trying to ask things? He’s going to scare him away! Harry thought.  
Remus turned towards James again. His smile faltered when he saw James’ intense expression.  
“Piss off, Potter. You’re not my mum,” Remus replied sharply. He tried to continue up the stairs.  
“Are you a werewolf?” James nearly shouted. Harry rolled his eyes with annoyance.  
Remus looked at James angrily.  
“Wake up the whole dormitory, why don’t you?” Remus returned down the few steps he walked up and faced James.  
“So, it’s true?” James looked relieved.  
“No,” Remus walked past James.  
“Remus, we don’t care, honestly,” James said quickly catching up to him. Remus searched James’ face intently.  
“I told you to piss off,” Remus quickly clambered up the portrait hole.  
“Remus!” James called after him. He continued to stand there, hopelessly. Harry watched his father. He couldn’t help but thinking how awful his attempt was. Why would he badger him like that? He kept thinking to himself. A memory quickly sprung up in Harry’s mind. It was Professor Slughorn yelling at him to leave for interrogating him about Tom Riddle. Harry gave a small smile.  
James sat down in front of the small fire. He clutched his messy hair in frustration. He grabbed a book from the coffee table and threw it at the wall. After sitting there for some time, a few students started to trickle down from their rooms. James continued to sit and stare at the fire.  
“Potter?” A voice said. Harry and James looked up and saw Lily standing near them. She was already dressed for the day. James glanced down at his pajamas and tugged at his too short pants.  
“Yes, Evans?” He said nervously.  
“Are you alright?” Lily asked, hesitantly.  
“Uh, yes, marvelous, actually, why?” James replied unconvincingly.  
“You just looked,” Lily paused, “upset,” she continued.  
“Oh, well, uh,” James stammered. Suddenly, a body flopped next to him. He turned quickly to find Sirius looking at him eagerly.  
“Well, how’d it go?” Sirius asked.  
“Uh,” James gave a glance at Lily.  
“Oi! Evans, didn’t notice you there. Having a nice chat with James?” Sirius gave a smirk towards James.  
Lily rolled her eyes and turned towards the portrait hole.  
“Bye, Evans!” James shouted at her. Sirius snorted.  
Lily glanced back and gave a small wave of her hand. James stared dreamily at her as she left the common room.  
“So, what happened!?” Sirius shook him.  
“Oh! She was just asking if I was alright,” James said sheepishly.  
“Not with Evans, you stupid bloke! With Remus,” Sirius dropped his voice quietly.  
“Oh, right! Well,” James dropped his gaze, “I asked him, but he just left.”  
“You just straight up asked him!?” Sirius said in a loud whisper, “You’re an idiot! Why would you do that?”  
“You told me to ask him, and I did!”  
Sirius gave an angry puff of air. “You can’t just ask someone that!”  
“Well, then, you should have done it!” James replied hotly.  
“Yeah, I should have remembered a dung beetle has more brains than you!”  
“Shut up, down there! We’re trying to sleep!” A voiced called down from the stairs.  
“Go sleep in a dragon’s mouth!” Sirius replied back quickly. “Come on.” He tugged James towards the portrait hole. They both climbed up and ran quickly down the halls. Harry followed closely behind them.  
“This one looks empty,” James said and went into a classroom with Sirius following.  
“So, where is he?” Sirius asked.  
“I don’t know. He got really angry and bolted.”  
“Well, that just proves it then.”  
“Yeah, I know. I told him he we didn’t care, but he just left,” James looked towards the classroom door.  
“We need to find him, then,” Sirius said walking towards the door. Before he could open it, the door swung open and McGonagall stood in the entryway. She looked at each of the boys with a piercing gaze.  
“Come with me,” she turned on her heels and did not even check if they were following. James and Sirius glanced at each other.  
“Do you think this is for the dungbombs on the Ravenclaw first years?” Sirius whispered to James. James shrugged his shoulders with a nervous look.  
They were at the Dumbledore’s office. James and Sirius looked at each other, worriedly.  
“Dumbledore is waiting for you,” McGonagall waved her hand towards the stairs for the boys to go up. They started to climb the stairs slowly. “Oh, and as for those dungbombs, it’ll be a week detention for both of you.”  
Sirius looked at her. “Come on, Professor, a whole week!?”  
“Don’t make it two, Black,” She said with a pointed look.  
Sirius huffed and continued to climb up the stairs.  
The room looked the same as it had when Harry first saw Dumbledore’s living quarters. A deep ache wrenched in his chest. He yearned for the time that Dumbledore was so readily available to him.  
James and Sirius looked around the room with amazement. Harry thought it must have been their first time here. A giant red and gold bird suddenly flew in from the open window. The bird glided to Dumbledore’s desk and gently placed a letter on it. It stared at the boys with inky black eyes.  
“It’s a bloody phoenix! He has a phoenix as an owl!” Sirius exclaimed to his friend.  
“Fawkes is more than just my owl, Sirius. He is my lifelong companion and defender if I ever need it,” Dumbledore’s voice carried into the room. James’ and Sirius’ heads swiveled around looking for their Headmaster. It appeared to that Dumbledore had glided in through thin air. He sat down at his grand chair, took out his wand, and invited the boys to sit down at the two giant chairs that had appeared. The boys sat down hesitantly. James picked at his fingers nervously. Dumbledore looked on at them with a gentle smile. Sirius wriggled in his chair uncomfortably. The silence fell heavy and awkwardly on the boys.  
“Er, Headmaster? Excuse me, but, um, is there a particular reason why we are here?” Sirius questioned while James shot him a look to be quiet. Dumbledore’s smile widened.  
“I am curious as to why you would think I called you here,” Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled at the boys.  
“They were just dungbombs, Sir. I promise I don’t-” Sirius started.  
“It’s because of Remus isn’t it?” James interrupted.  
“Indeed, James! And, what about your dear friend?” Dumbledore prompted.  
“He’s a werewolf,” James replied confidently. Dumbledore nodded his head.  
“Yes, quite right.”  
Sirius’ mouth fell slightly open with shock.  
“Oh, I was aware that both of you knew this. Was I incorrect at assuming this?” Dumbledore asked.  
“No, I knew, too. It’s just strange to hear the someone else confirm it,” Sirius explained.  
“These matters are very sensitive. You understand that no one else should know, correct? Well, I am also aware that Mr. Pettigrew is in on this knowledge, yes?”  
“Yeah, he said he was too sick to get out of bed this morning. Probably, was just too scared with how Remus would react,” Sirius said with a snort.  
“Peter’s feelings are felt throughout the wizarding world, Sirius. But unlike Remus, many werewolves are not given the chance to have a lot of close friends. That is what Remus needs most at this time,” Dumbledore continued seriously.  
“Of course, we’re still his friends,” James said.  
“It’s brilliant to have a werewolf as a friend!” Sirius said slightly arrogantly.  
“You must understand, Sirius, that majority of people do not feel this way. This must not be known by any other soul. And, you must understand that Remus’ future is depended on your friendship and secrecy,” Dumbledore looked intently at them. Sirius shook his head obediently.  
“Remus, I think it is time you come out, now,” Dumbledore turned around and said to an empty wall. A panel in the wall creaked open and out stepped Remus. He looked even more pale than when he entered the Common Room in the morning. Dumbledore waved him over. He walked slowly towards the boys while staring at the ground.  
“Well, there is wandering wardrobe I must attend to” Dumbledore said as he gave Remus a pat on the shoulder and walked out of the room. There was a beat of silence.  
“My best friend is a werewolf!” Sirius gave a small bark of laughter. Remus looked up, and Harry saw that it looked like he had been crying. He gave a small, hesitant smile.  
“Why’d you run off?” James asked.  
Remus shrugged, “Most people aren’t very receptive to my condition.”  
“Sometimes, you’re such a prat, Remus,” James rolled his eyes but offered a smile.  
“Why didn’t you just tell us!?” Sirius said.  
“What was I supposed to do? Tell you over your afternoon tea, ‘Hey, just so you know, I’m a werewolf, and once a month I could transform and rip your head off,” Remus laughed.  
“Maybe, not my head, but I could think of a few people I’d love to see that happen to,” Sirius replied.  
“Where does McGonagall take you to, you know, rip people’s heads off?” James asked.  
“Oh, the Shrieking Shack. I’m the evil who haunts its halls,” Remus said.  
“Brilliant! When are we going to go with you?” Sirius asked excitedly.  
“Are you insane!? You can’t just go with a werewolf into a house!” James said.  
“What d’ya mean!? He can’t be the only one having adventures in the Shrieking Shack!”  
“Trust me, they are anything but adventures,” Remus said quietly.  
“We’re going to figure out a way to go with you. Hey! What about the good ol’ cloak?” Sirius asked.  
“You can’t. I’d smell you or hear you,” Remus shook his head.  
“Well, we’ll figure something out,” James grinned. Remus’ eyes filled with tears.


	8. The Quarrel in the Library

Harry was standing in the middle of the library. This must be Mum’s memory, he thought. He looked around for her red hair and saw it sitting at a table, hunched over some books. As he approached, he saw that she was with her friends. She looked to be in her second year, now.   
“What’s the Griffin Claw used for again?” asked the one with dirty blonde hair.  
“The Strengthening Solution,” Lily said without looking up. “Make sure you mention that it has to be grinded, Mary.”  
“Right,” Mary replied.  
“Where’s Hestia?” the girl with dark, curly hair asked.  
“Oh,” Mary paused and smirked, “she got detention in Care of Magical Studies.”  
“Let me guess, she was talking?” the dark-haired girl asked with a small laugh.  
“You know her, Doe,” Mary giggled.  
“What time is Chess Club?” Doe asked looking at Lily.  
“It’s at 5:30. I can kick Alice’s butt again,” Lily answered with a glint in her eye. I never knew my mother liked Wizarding Chess, Harry thought.  
“You know, she was absolutely furious last time,” Mary giggled. Suddenly, her eyes looked past Lily’s head and gave a small smile. Lily turned around to see who she was looking at.   
“Look, Doe. It’s Mary’s boyfriend,” Lily teased.   
“Oh, shut it!” Mary said in a loud whisper.   
“I saw him looking at you in History of Magic,” Doe said waggling her eyebrows. Mary blushed and rolled her eyes.  
“He was probably looking at, Matilda Williams. Have you seen her boobs, recently? Watermelons, I tell you,” Mary held out her hands on her chest.  
“Rubbish, I bet she uses an engorgement charm,” Doe said. Lily laughed at shook her head. “What! You know, I’m right. She’s obsessed with Black, and lately, all he does is flirt with her.”  
“Jealous, Dorcas?” Lily smirked.  
“Oh, come on! I say he’s cute one time and suddenly, you think I want to marry him! You can’t deny it. He is attractive just acts like he’s 5,” Doe defended herself.  
Lily shrugged, “Not really my type.”  
“And what is your type, Lils?” Mary asked with eager eyes. Doe leaned in closer.  
“Not Sirius Black that’s for sure.”  
“Watch it!” A loud voice called from a few rows down and then there was a loud crash and laughter. Lily frowned and rushed over to the where the noise came from.   
There was a small boy trying to pick up books from the floor. Ink had spilled down the front of his shirt.   
“Let me help you with that,” Lily said while bending down and gathering some books.  
“Thanks,” the Slytherin boy said shyly.   
“I’m Lily,” she held out her hand.  
“Herbert,” he said shaking her hand and blushing slightly. Harry could tell the boy was only a first year. He looked down at his shirt and tried to wipe some of the ink off.   
“Here,” Lily said. She took out her wand and pointed it at the boy. “Tergeo,” she gave her wand a small flick and the ink was gone.   
“Thank you,” Herbert smiled and looked down at his clean shirt.   
“What are you studying?” Lily asked.   
“Charms,” Herbert replied with a grimace.   
“Oh, do you need help?” Lily smiled gently.  
“Well, yeah, I just can’t seem to get the Softening Charm. Every time I try, it’s hard as a rock,” Herbert shrugged.  
“I’ll show you,” Lily said. She pointed her wand to The Daily Prophet on the table. “Spongify,” she swished her wand and the newspaper became rubbery.  
“Cool,” the boy said poking the newspaper.  
“You try,” Lily encouraged. Herbert took out his wand hesitantly and pointed it to the brush laying on the table.   
“Spongify,” he said with a small jab at the brush. It hardened and crumbled to pieces. Lily gave a small laugh.  
“You’re jabbing at it too hard. It’s more of a swish.” She grabbed Herbert’s hand and showed him how to do it. “Try it like that.”  
“Spongify,” Herbert swished his wand at the broken brush. Lily grabbed at a piece and smiled.   
“Perfect,” she said and threw the piece to the ground. It bounced right to the boy.  
“Oh, look. Dungbrains is friends with a Mudblood,” a wicked looking boy snickered to his friends down the aisle.  
“Don’t call him that,” Lily said sternly.   
“How dare you talk to me that way,” the boy sneered. Harry felt his anger boiling over. He recognized the older boy. It was Yaxley.  
“How dare you talk to anyone that way,” Lily retorted back boldly. Yaxley’s face turned red with anger. He took out his wand. Lily gripped hers tightly. “Don’t,” she said stepping in front of Herbert.   
Yaxley laughed wickedly. “I bet you think you’re being brave. I   
think you’re just being stupid.” He took a step closer and waved his wand and said, “Petrificus Totalus.”  
Lily blocked the spell easily. She raised her eyebrow at him defiantly. Yaxley’s anger seemed to be boiling over.   
“Lily,” Mary and Doe appeared from around the books. They paused at the sight they saw. Lily and Yaxley frozen with their wands pointing at each other. They both drew they wands while Yaxley’s friends drew theirs.   
“Look at these stupid, second years, Yaxley. Think they can take on sixth years,” one of them retorted.   
“The only one being stupid is you,” Mary threw back at him.  
“Why how dare-“   
“What is going on here!?” The librarian shrieked. “Dueling in my library! Yaxley, how many times do I have to tell you to stop fighting in here! 50 points from Slytherin and Gryffindor! I will report to your Head of Houses about this! Wands away!”   
The group of students tucked their wands away. Lily never stopped looking at Yaxley icily.   
“Girls, I really expected more out of you,” the librarian continued.  
“I’m sorry, Professor,” Lily said genuinely.   
The librarian looked towards the group of Slytherin boys and said, “You may leave.” She waved her hand at them impatiently. The girls glared at them.   
“Thank you,” Herbert said quietly.  
“You’re welcome,” Lily replied and touched his arm gently. They girls walked back to their table.  
“What were you thinking, Lily? They could have blasted us to bits!” Mary whispered loudly.  
“They were picking on Herbert. They need to know they can’t talk to people that way,” Lily said. She was clearly still upset by the small frown she was wearing.   
“You heard them. They’re six years!” Mary continued.  
“We’re in the library. Honestly, they couldn’t do much,” Doe countered.   
“I wouldn’t be surprised to see them join that dark group,” Mary said leaning in.  
“The one that is kidnapping people?” Lily asked. Mary nodded her head.   
“I heard they’re recruiting werewolves, now” Doe whispered.  
“Werewolves!?” Mary said loudly.   
“Shh,” Doe put a finger on her lips.   
“They’re going to have an army of werewolves,” Mary whispered with a scared look.   
“Those are just rumors. I’m sure not all werewolves would join,” Lily said.  
“They’ve got nothing else to do! They just wait every full moon to eat people,” Mary said.  
“Don’t be daft, Mary,” Lily sternly replied. “Not all werewolves are like that. They’re still people with who want normal lives.”  
“They’ll be creating Inferi next, I bet,” Doe said. Mary looked frightened.  
“What are Inferi?” Lily asked.   
“They’re like corpses come to life,” Doe explained.  
“Like zombies?”  
“No, Dark Wizards just use the bodies of the people they kill. Grindlewald was planning to use them.”  
“They’ll to use the bodies that have been disappearing,” Mary said with a nod of her head.   
“Don’t say that, Mary,” Lily deepened her frown.  
“She’s probably right. What else could they be doing with them?” Doe replied. Lily shook her head.   
“Come on, let’s get back to it. Slughorn’s essay won’t write itself.” Lily picked up her quill and started to write. She was still frowning, and sometimes she would stop writing and look off distantly. Harry knew that she was still thinking about what she had heard. It was disturbing to think about. After a while, she packed up her things.  
“See you at dinner,” she said to her friends.  
“Kick Alice’s butt,” Mary waved.   
Lily walked away from the exit and towards Herbert’s table. The boy was already gone. She turned herself to the door and walked to the rest of the castle.


	9. Petunia's Wish

Harry was standing outside of Lily’s house. Petunia’s face was pressed up against a bedroom window. A car was waiting noisily in the driveway. The front door was ajar and Harry’s grandparents were walking outside.  
“Hurry, Lily! You’re going to be late!” Mr. Evans called. He was carrying a trunk to the car.  
“Petuniaaaa! Say goodbye to your sister!” Mrs. Evans called out. A door was loudly slammed shut in response. Lily was hesitantly waiting in the doorway. “Oh, don’t worry, dear. She’ll come around.”  
“I’m not sure, Mum. It’s been three years,” Lily replied.  
“Yes, well. She just can’t quite accept the fact that you are special, and she is just like us. Normal,” Her father said. Lily gave a sigh.  
“I’m not any different than I used to be. I’m not any more special than anyone else just because I can make something float or make some potions.”  
“Don’t be silly. Of course, that makes you special!” Mrs. Evans said hastily. Lily seemed to look annoyed.  
“I forgot something in my room! I’ll be right down,” She said hurriedly ran up the stairs.  
Old school books were piled near her night stand. A picture of her and all her friends were moving silently in a frame on her dresser. Her pale, yellow bed spread looked hastily made. She grabbed something on her dresser. She suddenly paused. Harry looked to see what she was holding. In her hand, was a small, moving photograph of a younger Lily and Petunia. Lily was making a silly face while Petunia laughed with delight. Harry had never seen his aunt look so happy. Lily held the photograph tightly and left the room. She stopped at a door adjacent to hers and knocked softly.  
“Petunia?” she called. There was no answer. “Petunia?” she said a little louder. The door swiftly opened to reveal Petunia’s face scrunched up in anger.  
“What do you want? I am busy,” she said shortly.  
“Here,” Lily handed her the photograph. Petunia snatched it with barely a glance.  
“Why would I want this? If I wanted to see a picture of you, I could just go worship the shrine Mum and Dad have of you,” she said nastily.  
“Well, I thought it would be nice to have a picture of both of us. For when I’m gone.”  
“No, it would not be nice. I do not need another reminder of you and the freak school you go to,” Petunia spat back. Lily’s eyes narrowed.  
“You wanted to go to Hogwarts!”  
“Oh, don’t remind me! That was before I saw through you and your weirdness!”  
“Why are you like this!? I’m no different than who I was before Hogwarts! I’m still just Lily!”  
“No! You’re precious, perfect, special Lily. Always have to be in the spotlight. Always needing attention. Always fooling everyone with how sweet she is. Well, I am fooled no longer. I don’t need a sister who is always trying to outshine me,” Petunia’s face was turning red with anger.  
“What do you want from me!? I just want it to go back to normal again,” Lily’s eyes were filling with tears.  
“I wish you would stop doing magic. Stop being a freak. Just be normal for once! Stop trying to prove you’re so special. You were supposed to be like me! You were supposed to be a part of our team and our family!”  
“I’m a witch. I can’t just stop doing magic. It’s a part of who I am,” Lily quietly said.  
“Then, I don’t want to be a part of who you are,” Petunia answered back and slammed the door.  
Lily’s teared spilled over her eyes.  
“Lily! Hurry now!” Mrs. Evans called from down below.  
“Goodbye, Petunia. I love you,” Lily whispered.

Harry realized that Petunia still had the photograph.


End file.
